Saturday, October 25, 2008

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! to everyone who has responded to my little Q&A experiment. I am amazed at how many people have taken the time to tell me a little about themselves. A few of you have raised a couple of additional questions that I am going to answer here for lack of a better place.

First, many of you have attributed your reluctance to comment to the personal nature of my writing. I am writing in a public forum. If something is too private or personal, I don't write it. And despite how open I am in this forum, you should know I do hold back many things so my life isn't quite a fully open book. If I only wanted my friends and family to read my rambling thoughts and amateur memoirs, I would have a private blog or pester them with unsolicited emails. I initially selected a public blogging format to give myself a place to just be myself, even if it was originally quite anonymous. Then I realized I wanted an audience. The first place I looked was my friends and family. And luckily, the word spread and I have been able to meet and get to know other bloggers out there. This is such a unique way to get to know friends and strangers (who can become friends) alike. Please, if you have something to say, let me know. Even if you don't really have anything specific to say, just let me know you are reading. It really bolsters me up.

Second, one commenter raised this question "why did you meet with a Bishop? (Our Bishops are so high ranking you would really never speak to one personally)." A bishop in the LDS church is a lay clergyman (meaning he does not get paid and has a full-time job outside his church duties) who, along with two counselors, presides over and leads a congregation - called a ward. A bishop is more equivalent to a Priest, Pastor, Rabbi or Minister than a Catholic Bishop. Throughout my blog I make an attempt to step outside of my own cultural terminology so people of differing backgrounds will be able to understand where I'm coming from. Sometimes, especially while writing my divorce story, I neglect this and I welcome any questions those of you who aren't Mormon might have on terminology. And I will continue to be mindful of those of you who didn't grow up hearing about wards and bishops. . .

Finally, I have put a lot of thought into this give away thing. I've only done one before and I don't necessarily plan on doing a lot of them so I appreciate the commenters who indicate I don't need to offer bribes to bring them out of lurkdom. However, I am going to give a few prizes away this month and since I am working this weekend and won't have time to select winners, I am going to extend the deadline another week. You now all have until midnight on October 31st to enter the drawing. Please continue to post your comments here to be eligible. And don't forget, if you have mentioned my story on your blog to leave me a second comment so you can be entered for the drawing a second time. I know several of you have done this and I thank you for your kind words. And by the way, you are not automatically disqualified if you are outside the U.S., if you win I'm not afraid of overseas shipping.

Thanks again all, hopefully I will have another divorce post (a kinder, gentler one) in the next few days. . . . if I can finish up all this work stuff.

It has been a challenge for me to be able to come out of mormom language when writing on my private blog that some non mormon friends read. It gets a little interesting sometimes. Looking foreward to the next post.

Who Am I?

I'm a dreamer, a traveler, a lawyer, a would-be writer, a New Yorker, a Utahn, an Oregonian, a thinker, an adventurer, a talker, a listener, a researcher, a Mormon, a runner, a baker, a questioner, a reader, a yogi, a breast cancer warrior. I am alternatively ambitious and lazy. I am comfortable dressing up in heels and a fancy dress or a suit or dressing down in chacos, shorts and a t-shirt. Personality tests always score me as being Type A or Red or some overly uptight equivalent but I have my reserved and relaxed moments as well. Though I trend toward oversharing, there is always more beneath the surface, just try peeling back a layer some time and you might be surprised at what you discover. Spending extended amounts of time outdoors is the key to my sanity as is music where my tastes are varied but always selective - I am never too far from my ipod. I'm a researcher and a planner but live for spontanaity. I am a pragmatic realist with a splash of optimism but love to feed my romantic leanings. Laughing is my favorite thing and I think math is the worst. I keep a rambling record of some of the disparate pieces of my scattered life here. Read and enjoy.